Non-invasive refractive treatment using nanoparticles

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of this invention generally relate to systems and methods for optical treatment and more particularly to non-invasive refractive treatment method based on sub wavelength particle implantation. In an embodiment, a method for optical treatment identifies an optical aberration of an eye, determines a dopant delivery device configuration in response to the optical aberration of the eye, wherein the determined dopant delivery device is configured to impose a desired correction to the eye to mitigate the identified optical aberration of the eye by applying a doping pattern to the eye so as to locally change a refractive index of the eye.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of and claims priority to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/199,766, filed Mar. 6, 2014, which claimspriority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/794,070, filed on Mar.15, 2013, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein byreference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to opticaltreatment and more particularly to non-invasive refractive treatmentmethod based on sub wavelength particle implantation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Non-spectacle, non-contact lens refractive correction generally involvesthe use invasive surgical techniques that require a healing period, mayreduce the integrity of the cornea, and which can lead to undesired sideeffects such as night halos, dry eye syndrome, and increased higherorder aberrations. A new refractive treatment method based on subwavelength particle implantation can accomplish similar treatments withfar less invasive procedures and no appreciable weakening of the cornea.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The field of the invention relates to systems and methods for opticaltreatment and more particularly to non-invasive refractive treatmentmethod based on sub wavelength particle implantation. In an embodiment,a method for optical treatment identifies an optical aberration of aneye, determines a dopant delivery device configuration in response tothe optical aberration of the eye, wherein the determined dopantdelivery device is configured to impose a desired correction to the eyeto mitigate the identified optical aberration of the eye by applying adoping pattern to the eye so as to locally change a refractive index ofthe eye.

Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the invention willbe or will become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examinationof the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended thatall such additional systems, methods, features, and advantages beincluded within this description, be within the scope of the invention,and be protected by the accompanying claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure is described in conjunction with the appendedfigures:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of one embodiment of a non-invasiverefractive treatment system;

FIG. 1A is a schematic illustration of one embodiment of a dopantdelivery device;

FIGS. 2A-2B are graph's depicting changes in refractive properties of aneye caused by the implantation of a dopant in the eye;

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of embodiments of dopant distributionin the eye;

FIGS. 4A-4C are schematic illustrations of one embodiment of a contactlens dopant delivery system;

FIG. 5 is a schematic depict embodiments of a dopant deliveryconfiguring system; and

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of a process fornon-invasive refractive treatment.

In the appended figures, similar components and/or features may have thesame reference label. Where the reference label is used in thespecification, the description is applicable to any one of the similarcomponents having the same reference label. Further, various componentsof the same type may be distinguished by following the reference labelby a dash and a second label that distinguishes among the similarcomponents. If only the first reference label is used in thespecification, the description is applicable to any one of the similarcomponents having the same first reference label irrespective of thesecond reference label

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The ensuing description provides preferred exemplary embodiment(s) only,and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability or configurationof the disclosure. Rather, the ensuing description of the preferredexemplary embodiment(s) will provide those skilled in the art with anenabling description for implementing a preferred exemplary embodiment.It is understood that various changes may be made in the function andarrangement of elements without departing from the spirit and scope asset forth in the appended claims.

In some embodiments, noninvasive refractive treatment can modify therefractive index of the eye, and specifically the corneal refractiveindex, rather than reshape the cornea to affect a refractive correction.This change in the corneal refractive index can be accomplished throughthe application of various dopants to the cornea that can include, forexample, one or several chemicals and/or nanoparticles.

The nanoparticles can be metallic, and can enhance the index ofrefraction through surface plasmon effects, and/or the bulk materialfrom which the nanoparticles are made can be absorptive when in bulkform. The nanoparticles may contain inorganic, high index of refraction,transparent materials such as, for example, ZrO₂ embedded in inorganicpolymers. The nanoparticles and/or their host material can be tailoredto bond with specific cell organelles or structures to resist diffusion.

In some embodiments in which nanoparticles are applied to the cornea,the nanoparticles can have a size that is smaller than, and in someembodiments, much smaller than the wavelength of visible light. In someembodiments in which nanoparticles are applied to the cornea, thenanoparticles can have an index of refraction that is different than theindex of refraction of the cornea, and in some embodiments, thenanoparticles can have an index of refraction that is substantiallydifferent than the index of refraction of the cornea.

The implantation of nanoparticles having an index of refractiondifferent than that of the cornea can result in a change in the localindex of refraction of the cornea in proportion to the number ofnanoparticles implanted in a given volume of the cornea, or in otherwords, the density of the implanted nanoparticles. In some embodiments,the density and/or lateral distribution of the nanoparticles can varyacross the cornea of the eye, which variance can result in a varyingindex of refraction across the cornea of the eye. This varying index ofrefraction across the cornea of the eye, caused by the unequaldistribution of the nanoparticles, allows treatment of opticalaberrations including, myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, mixedastigmatism, and/or any other lower or higher order aberrations.

In some embodiments, the dopant applied to the cornea to affect thechange in the refractive index of the cornea can have a variety ofinteractions with the corneal tissue. In some embodiments, for example,these dopants can be nonreactive with the corneal tissue and merely besuspended within the corneal tissue, and specifically, in someembodiments, within the corneal stroma, and in some embodiments, thesedopants can bind with corneal tissue to thereby secure their positionwithin the cornea. In some embodiments, nanoparticle materials can beselected to be biocompatible with the tissue of the cornea and/or tochemically bond to the corneal tissue. In some embodiments in whichnanoparticles are used for altering the index of refraction of thecornea, nanoparticles as small as, for example, 1 nanometer, 5nanometers, 10 nanometers, 20 nanometers, 30 nanometers, 50 nanometers,100 nanometers, 500 nanometers, and/or any other desired or intermediatesize can be used. In some embodiments, particles can be size so as toallow painless placement in the cornea and so as to prevent lightscatter.

Insertion of dopants including, for example, one or several chemicalsand/or one or several nanoparticles, into the cornea can be achievedusing a variety of techniques. In some embodiments, for example, thedopants can be inserted into the cornea via high velocity impingement onthe exterior surfaces of the cornea. In some embodiments, for example,the velocity of the dopants can be configured so as to allow penetrationto the desired depth into the cornea. In some embodiments, for example,the dopants can be inserted into the cornea via diffusion. In someembodiments, the dopants can be configured such that they diffuse to theproper depth within the cornea, and then maintain their position at thatdesired depth.

With reference now to FIG. 1, a schematic illustration of one embodimentof a noninvasive refractive treatment system 100 is shown. Thenoninvasive refractive treatment system 100 can provide noninvasiverefractive treatment to a patient. Advantageously, such treatments allowshort recovery periods, can be repeated and/or adjusted based on futurechanges to the patient's eye, and/or can compensate for over and/orunder treatment in a previous procedure.

The noninvasive refractive treatment system 100 includes an eye 102. Theeye 102 can be any eye, and can be, for example, a human eye. The eye102 includes the cornea 104, the lens 106, the retina 108, and the opticnerve 110. In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1, a plurality of dopants112 have been deposited with in the cornea 104 of the eye 102. In someembodiments, these dopants can be, for example, nanoparticles.

As further seen in FIG. 1, the noninvasive refractive treatment system100 can include a dopant delivery system 114. In some embodiments, thedopant delivery system 114 can be configured to measure the aberrationof the eye 102, determine a dopant profile for compensating and/orcorrecting for the aberration, and to deliver dopant to the eye 102, andspecifically to the cornea 104 of the eye 102.

In some embodiments, the dopant delivery system 114 includes a dopantdelivery device 116 that delivers the dopant 112 to the eye 102. In someembodiments, the dopant delivery device 116 can include featuresconfigured to accelerate the dopant to a desired velocity to allowpenetration of the dopant to a desired depth into the cornea 104. Insuch an embodiment, the dopant delivery system 114 can control thedopant delivery device and can further include features configured tocalculate the necessary penetration velocity of the dopant. This processcan include determining a property of the cornea 104 such as, forexample, the elasticity, thickness, toughness, and/or any other propertyrelevant to penetration of dopant into the cornea 104, and using thisproperty in combination with the mass of the dopant to determine thevelocity for dopant penetration to a desired depth to the cornea 104.

In some embodiments, the insertion of the dopant 112 into the cornea 104can be facilitated by one or several piezoelectric transducers. In someembodiments, the dopant 112 can be ionized, and can be accelerated tothe desired velocity for dopant insertion into the cornea 104.

As seen in FIG. 1, the dopant 112 can be delivered 118 from the dopantdelivery device 116 to the cornea 104. In embodiments in which thedopant 112 is delivered to the cornea 104 at a penetrating velocity, thedirection of the velocity of the dopant 112 can be calculated and/orcontrolled to allow insertion of the dopant 112 into desired portions ofthe cornea. In some embodiments, for example, the same techniques usedto accelerate the dopant 112 can be further used to control thedirection of the velocity of the dopant 112.

In some embodiments, dopant delivery system 114 can be used inconnection with other devices and components that can, for example,measure the aberration of the eye 102, perform calculations relating tothe aberration of the eye 102, and/or configure the dopant deliverydevice 114. These other devices and/or components can be integratedwithin the non-invasive refractive treatment system 100.

With reference now to FIG. 1A, a schematic illustration of oneembodiment of the dopant delivery system 114 is shown. The dopantdelivery system 114 can be configured to deliver dopant 112 to the eye102. In some embodiments, the dopant delivery system 114 includes aprocessor 130. The processor 130 can provide instructions to, andreceive information from the other components of the dopant deliverysystem 114. The processor 130 can act according to stored instructionsto control the other components of the dopant delivery system 114. Theprocessor 200 can comprise a microprocessor, such as a microprocessorfrom Intel® or Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.®, or the like.

The dopant delivery system 114 can include an input/output interface132. The input/output interface 132 communicates information, includingoutputs, to, and receives inputs from a user. The input/output interface132 can include a screen, a speaker, a monitor, a keyboard, amicrophone, a mouse, a touchpad, a keypad, and/or any other feature orfeatures that can receive inputs from a user and provide information toa user. In some embodiments, the input/output interface 132 can provideoutputs to, and receive inputs from a user including a doctor. In someembodiments, the input/output interface 132 can be configured to allowthe user including the doctor to control the operation of the dopantdelivery system 114, and to specifically control the interaction of thedopant delivery system 114 with the patient.

The dopant delivery system 114 can comprise a communication engine 134.The communication engine 134 can allow the dopant delivery system 114 tocommunicatingly connect with other devices, and can allow the dopantdelivery system 114 to send and receive information from other devices.The communication engine 134 can include features configured to send andreceive information, including, for example, an antenna, a modem, atransmitter, a receiver, or any other feature that can send and receiveinformation. The communication engine 134 can communicate via telephone,cable, fiber-optic, or any other wired communication network. In someembodiments, the communication engine 134 can communicate via cellularnetworks, WLAN networks, or any other wireless network.

The dopant delivery system 114 includes a measurement engine 136. Insome embodiments, for example, the measurement engine 136 can beconfigured to measure aberration data relating to the eye 102. Themeasurement engine 136 can use any technique and/or desired features tomeasure the aberration relating to the eye 102. In some embodiments, themeasurement engine 136 can include a phoroptor and/or aberrometer.

The dopant delivery system 114 can include a configuration engine 138.In some embodiments, the configuration engine 138 can include featuresthat can configured the dopant delivery device 116 for delivering thedopant 112 to the eye 102. In some embodiments, the configuration engine138 can comprise an activation device. The activation device will bediscussed in greater detail below.

The dopant delivery system 114 can include memory 140. The memory 140can include stored instructions that, when executed by the processor130, control the operation of the dopant delivery system 114.

In some embodiments, the memory 140 can include a dopant database 142.The dopant database 142 can include information relating to the dopant112 such as, for example, information relating to the effect of thedopant on the index of refraction of the eye 102, doping patterns thatcan be used as corrections for optical aberrations, and informationrelating to the configuration of the dopant delivery device 114.

The memory 140 can include a scan database 144. The scan database 144can include data generated by the measurement engine 134. Thisinformation can relate to the aberration the eye 102, refractive stateof the eye 102 after performing the noninvasive refractive treatment.

The dopant delivery system 114 can include a feature 146 communicatinglylinking all of the components of the dopant delivery system 114. In someembodiments, this feature 146 can comprise, for example, a bus.

With reference now to FIGS. 2A-2B, graph's depicting changes inrefractive properties of an eye 102 caused by the implantation of adopant 112 in the eye 102 are shown. Specifically, the graphs depict theimpact of the uniform implantation of nanoparticles having a refractiveindex higher than the refractive index of the cornea into the cornealtissue. Specifically, FIG. 2A includes graph 200 which depicts theeffective corneal index as a function of the implanted fraction ofdopant 112, and FIG. 2B includes graph 202 which depicts the cornealpower change as a function of the implanted fraction of dopant 112.

As seen in FIGS. 2A-2B, the nominal corneal effective refractive indexis approximately 1.337. Further, the mean human corneal radius ofcurvature is approximately 7.8 mm. The combination of the nominalcorneal effective refractive index and the mean human corneal radius ofcurvature results in an effective corneal power of approximately 43.2diopters. The above figures depict the change in the effective cornealindex and corneal power resulting from the implantation of nanoparticleshaving an index of refraction of 1.65. As seen in FIGS. 2A-2B, as thefractional percent of implanted nanoparticles increases, the effectivecorneal index likewise increases, and the corneal power changes. Forexample, and based on FIGS. 2A-2B, when the fraction of nanoparticlesimplanted reaches 1%, the local index of refraction increases to 1.35and the corneal power increases by approximately 2.1 dpt.

With reference now to FIG. 3, a schematic illustration of embodiments ofdopant 112 distribution in the eye 102 is shown. In some embodiments,the dopant 112 distributions in the eye 102 shown in FIG. 3 can comprisenon-uniform distribution patterns. These non-uniform distributionpatterns can be used in the treatment of specific refractive problems.Non-uniform distributions can effectively lead to a graded index ofrefraction useful for treating all the common refractive conditions, insome cases with reduced implant rates.

FIG. 3 depicts a first distribution pattern 300-A occurring in the firstpupil 302-A. In this first distribution pattern 300-A, dopant 112 isconcentrated in the center of the pupil 302-A. In some embodiments, theconcentration of dopant 112 in the center the pupil 302-A, andspecifically lateral distributions of high index particles concentratedat the center of the pupil 302-A can be used to increase the cornealpower for treating hyperopia.

FIG. 3 depicts a second distribution pattern 300-B occurring in thesecond pupil 302-B. In the second distribution pattern 300-B, dopant 112is concentrated radially around the periphery of the pupil 302-B. Insome embodiments, the concentration of dopant 112 around the radialperiphery of the pupil 302-B, and specifically lateral distributionswith a minimum number of particles at the pupil center can be used toreduce the corneal power and thereby treat myopia.

FIG. 3 depicts a third distribution pattern 300-C occurring in the thirdpupil 302-C. In the third distribution pattern 300-C, dopant 112 iscylindrically distributed perpendicular to the fast axis of the pupil302-C. In some embodiments, the cylindrical distribution perpendicularto the fast axis of the pupil 302-C, and/or an elliptical distributioncan be used to treat astigmatism.

Similarly, other dopant distribution patterns can be used to treat otheroptical aberrations including, for example, higher order aberrations.Specifically, higher order aberrations can be treated through othernon-uniform particle distribution patterns.

With reference now to FIGS. 4A-4C, schematic illustrations of oneembodiment of a contact lens dopant delivery system 400 are shown. Thecontact lens dopant delivery system 400 is a subset of the dopantdelivery device 116. In some embodiments, the contact lens dopantdelivery system 400 can be configured to deliver dopant 112 to the eye102, and specifically to the cornea 104 of the eye 102. In someembodiments, the contact lens dopant delivery system 400 can beconfigured for placement on a portion of the eye 102 such as, forexample, on top of the cornea 104 of the eye 102. In some embodiments,the contact lens dopant delivery system 400 can include dopant 112embedded and/or applied onto portions of the contact lens dopantdelivery system 400.

In some embodiments, the dopant 112 can be uniformly distributedthroughout the contact lens 402, so as to allow the customization of thecontact lens 402 to treat a range of desired aberrations. In someembodiments, the dopant 112 can be non-uniformly distributed throughoutthe contact lens 402. In some such embodiments, the non-uniformdistribution of dopant 112 can allow the pre-configuration of thecontact lens for treatment of a specific type and/or strength ofaberration. In embodiments in which the dopant 112 is pre-distributedthroughout the contact lens 402 to allow the treatment of a specifictype and/or strength of aberration, the contact lens dopant deliverysystem 100 can comprise one or several contact lenses 402 which can beapplied to the eye, singly, or in succession to treat a specifiedaberration including, for example, a type and a strength of aberration.

This dopant 112 can be transferred to the eye 102, and specifically tothe cornea 104 of the eye when the contact lens dopant delivery system400 is placed on the eye 102.

With reference now to FIG. 4A, a side view of one embodiment of thecontact lens dopant delivery system 400 is shown. The contact lensdopant delivery system 400 includes a contact lens 402 that can comprisea variety of shapes and sizes. In some embodiments, for example, thecontact lens 402 can be sized to cover and/or substantially cover thecornea 104. In some embodiments, the contact lens 402 can comprise avariety of materials. In some embodiments, for example, the contact lens402 can comprise a biocompatible material.

The contact lens 402 comprises a front 404 and an opposing back 406. Insome embodiments, the contact lens 402 can comprise a convex shapeconfigured for placement onto the cornea 104 of the eye 102, which shapecan advantageously increase the contact area of the back 406 of thecontact lens 402 with the cornea 104 of the eye 102. In someembodiments, for example, all or portions of the contact lens 402 cancomprise a dopant carrier 408. In some embodiments, the dopant carrier408 can be configured to releasably contain the dopant 112. In someembodiments, for example, the dopant carrier 408 can be configured toretain the dopant 112 in the contact lens 402 unless the dopant 112 isactivated, which activation can allow the dopant 112 to be released fromthe contact lens 402, and specifically from the dopant carrier 408 ofthe contact lens 402. In some embodiments, for example, the activationof the dopant 112 can comprise a change in the shape, composition,and/or properties of the dopant and/or the dopant carrier 408.

With reference now to FIG. 4B, a front view of one embodiment of thecontact lens delivery system 400 is shown. As seen in FIG. 4B, thecontact lens 402 can comprise a circular shape when viewed from thefront. In some embodiments, the contact lens 402 can comprise anorienting feature 412. This orienting feature 412 can advantageouslyfacilitate in orienting the contact lens 402 on the eye 102. This canallow use of the contact lens dopant delivery system 400 in thetreatment of astigmatism and/or higher order aberrations. In someembodiments, the orienting feature 412 can be configured toautomatically orient the contact lens 402 on the eye 102 such as, forexample, when the patient blinks their eye 102.

With reference now to FIG. 4C, side view of one embodiment of thenoninvasive refractive treatment system 100 is shown. In thisembodiment, the contact lens delivery system 400 is shown placed on theeye 102 so that the back 406 of the contact lens 402 is contacting thecornea 104 of the eye 102. In this embodiment, activated dopant 112 canbe delivered to the cornea 104 of the eye 102, which delivery can affecta change in the index of refraction of the cornea 104 and thereby altera refractive property of the eye 102. In embodiments in which the dopant112 is activated according to a doping pattern configured to compensatefor an optical aberration of the eye, the activated dopant 112 canremedy and/or provide for the noninvasive treatment of the opticalaberration of the eye 102.

With reference now to FIG. 5, a schematic illustration of one embodimentof a dopant delivery configuration system 500 is shown. In someembodiments, for example, the dopant delivery configuration system 500can comprise the contact lens 402 and an activation device 502. Thedopant delivery configuration system 500 can be configured to activatethe dopant 112 in and/or on the contact lens 402 so as to allow thedelivery of the dopant 112 to the cornea 104 of the eye 102.

The activation device 502 can comprise any device configured to activatethe dopant 112 by changing the shape, composition, and/or properties ofthe dopant 112 and/or the dopant carrier 408. In some embodiments, forexample, the activation device 502 can activate the dopant via theirradiation of the contact lens 402 including, for example, the dopant112 and/or the dopant carrier 408, the application of one or severalchemicals to the contact lens 402 including, for example, the dopant 112and/or the dopant carrier 408, and/or via the mechanical interactionwith the contact lens 402 including, for example, the dopant 112 and/orthe dopant carrier 408. As seen in FIG. 5, the activation device 502 isinteracting 504 with the contact lens 402 so as to activate the dopant112. In some embodiments, this interaction 504 can be controlled so thatdesired portions of the dopant 112 are activated and so that otherportions of the dopant 112 are not activated. Advantageously, selectiveactivation of portions of the dopant 112 on the contact lens 402 canallow treatment of different aberrations including, for example, lowerorder aberrations and/or higher order aberrations.

With reference now to FIG. 6, a flowchart illustrating one embodiment ofa process 600 for noninvasive refractive treatment is shown. In someembodiments, this process 600 can be used to provide dopant 112 toportions of the eye 102 including, for example, to the cornea 104. Insome embodiments, the process 600 can be performed using noninvasiverefractive treatment system 100, and specifically the dopant deliverysystem 114, the contact lens delivery system 400, and/or the activationdevice 502.

The process 600 can begin at block 602 wherein aberration data isreceived. In some embodiments, for example, the aberration data can bereceived from any device capable of identifying and/or detecting opticalaberration in an eye 102. In some embodiments, for example, theaberration data can be received from a phoroptor, an aberrometer, and/orany other desired device capable of collecting this data, and in someembodiments, this information can be received from the measurementengine 136 and/or any component of the measurement engine 136. In someembodiments, this information can be generated by component other thanthe dopant delivery system 114 and can be communicated to thenoninvasive refractive treatment system via the communication engine134. In some embodiments, the received aberration data can be stored inthe memory 140 including, for example the scan database 144.

After the aberration data is collected, the process 600 proceeds toblock 604 wherein the correction for the collected aberration data iscalculated. In some embodiments, the calculation of the correction canbe performed by a component of dopant delivery system 114, and in someembodiments, the calculation of the correction can be performed by acomponent and/or device other than the dopant delivery system 114. Insome embodiments, for example, the correction can be calculated by acomponent of the dopant delivery system 114 including, for example, theprocessor 130. In some embodiments, the correction can be calculatedwith inputs regarding the details of the anatomy of the eye 102including, for example, the details of the size and shape of the eye 102and/or the components of the eye 102. In some embodiments in which aphoropter is used to collect aberration data, the calculation of thecorrection can be likewise received from the phoropter via, for example,the communications engine 134.

After the correction has been calculated, the process 600 proceeds toblock 606 wherein the change in the index of refraction that will resultin achieving the correction is calculated. In some embodiments, thiscalculation can be performed as part of the step performed in block 604discussed above, in some embodiments, this step can be performedseparate from step performed in block 604 discussed above. In someembodiments, this calculation can be performed by components of thedopant delivery system 114, and in some embodiments, this calculationcan be performed by components other than those of the dopant deliverysystem 114. In some embodiments, this calculation can comprise thegeneration of an index of refraction profile indicating the locations ofchanges to the index of refraction on the cornea 104 of the eye 102, inthe magnitude of the changes to the index of refraction of the cornea104 of the eye 102.

After the change in the index of refraction is calculated, the process600 proceeds to block 608 wherein the doping pattern that createsindices of refraction within the cornea 104 corresponding to the indexof refraction profile is generated. In some embodiments, the dopingpattern can be generated by a component of the dopant delivery system114 including, for example, the processor 130 and can be based off ofinformation retrieved from the dopant database 142 and the scan database144. In some embodiments, the doping pattern can include informationidentifying the location for the placement of dopant 112 on the eye 102,and specifically on the cornea 104 of the eye, and the concentration ofthe dopant 112 in those locations.

After the doping pattern is been calculated, the process 600 proceeds toblock 612 wherein the dopant delivery device 116 is configured. In someembodiments, for example, the configuring of the dopant delivery device116 can comprise making changes to the dopant delivery device 116 sothat the dopant delivery device 116 delivers dopant 112 to portions ofthe eye 102 including, for example, the cornea 104, specified by thedoping pattern. In some embodiments, the dopant delivery device 116 canbe configured by the configuration engine 138 and/or a component of theconfiguration engine. In some embodiments, this component of theconfiguration engine 148 can include the dopant delivery configurationsystem 500, and specifically the activation device 502 of the dopantdelivery configuration system 500.

After the dopant delivery device has been configured, the processproceeds to block 614 wherein the dopant 112 is delivered. In someembodiments, for example, the dopant 112 can be delivered by the dopantdelivery system 114 including, for example, the dopant delivery device116. In one specific embodiment, the dopant 112 can be delivered by thecontact lens delivery system 400 by placement of the contact lens 402 ofthe contact lens delivery system 400 on the eye 102, and specifically onthe cornea 104 of the eye 102.

After the dopant is been delivered, the process 600 proceeds to block618 wherein the refractive state of the eye 102 can be measured. In someembodiments, this step can be performed in the same manner as thatperformed in block 602 above, and the information measured in this stepcan be used to determine the success of the noninvasive refractivetreatment.

After the refractive student the eye 102 has been measured, the process600 proceeds to decision state 620 wherein it is determined if themeasured refractive state of the eye 102 corresponds with the correctrefractive state of the eye. In some embodiments, this determination canbe made by the processor 130 of the dopant delivery system 114 based onthe comparison of the outcome calculated from the collected aberrationdata and the calculated correction, and the measured refractive state ofthe eye. If it is determined that the measured refractive state of theeye 102 does not correspond with the desired outcome of the noninvasiverefractive treatment, then the process 600 returns to block 604. If itis determined that the measured refractive state of the eye 102 doescorrespond with the desired outcome of the noninvasive refractivetreatment, then the process can terminate.

A number of variations and modifications of the disclosed embodimentscan also be used. Specific details are given in the above description toprovide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it isunderstood that the embodiments may be practiced without these specificdetails. For example, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms,structures, and techniques may be shown without unnecessary detail inorder to avoid obscuring the embodiments.

Implementation of the techniques, blocks, steps and means describedabove may be done in various ways. For example, these techniques,blocks, steps and means may be implemented in hardware, software, or acombination thereof. For a hardware implementation, the processing unitsmay be implemented within one or more application specific integratedcircuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signalprocessing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), fieldprogrammable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers,micro-controllers, microprocessors, other electronic units designed toperform the functions described above, and/or a combination thereof.

Also, it is noted that the embodiments may be described as a processwhich is depicted as a flowchart, a flow diagram, a swim diagram, a dataflow diagram, a structure diagram, or a block diagram. Although adepiction may describe the operations as a sequential process, many ofthe operations can be performed in parallel or concurrently. Inaddition, the order of the operations may be re-arranged. A process isterminated when its operations are completed, but could have additionalsteps not included in the figure. A process may correspond to a method,a function, a procedure, a subroutine, a subprogram, etc. When a processcorresponds to a function, its termination corresponds to a return ofthe function to the calling function or the main function.

Furthermore, embodiments may be implemented by hardware, software,scripting languages, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardwaredescription languages, and/or any combination thereof. When implementedin software, firmware, middleware, scripting language, and/or microcode,the program code or code segments to perform the necessary tasks may bestored in a machine readable medium such as a storage medium. A codesegment or machine-executable instruction may represent a procedure, afunction, a subprogram, a program, a routine, a subroutine, a module, asoftware package, a script, a class, or any combination of instructions,data structures, and/or program statements. A code segment may becoupled to another code segment or a hardware circuit by passing and/orreceiving information, data, arguments, parameters, and/or memorycontents. Information, arguments, parameters, data, etc. may be passed,forwarded, or transmitted via any suitable means including memorysharing, message passing, token passing, network transmission, etc.

For a firmware and/or software implementation, the methodologies may beimplemented with modules (e.g., procedures, functions, and so on) thatperform the functions described herein. Any machine-readable mediumtangibly embodying instructions may be used in implementing themethodologies described herein. For example, software codes may bestored in a memory. Memory may be implemented within the processor orexternal to the processor. As used herein the term “memory” refers toany type of long term, short term, volatile, nonvolatile, or otherstorage medium and is not to be limited to any particular type of memoryor number of memories, or type of media upon which memory is stored.

Moreover, as disclosed herein, the term “storage medium” may representone or more memories for storing data, including read only memory (ROM),random access memory (RAM), magnetic RAM, core memory, magnetic diskstorage mediums, optical storage mediums, flash memory devices and/orother machine readable mediums for storing information. The term“machine-readable medium” includes, but is not limited to portable orfixed storage devices, optical storage devices, and/or various otherstorage mediums capable of storing that contain or carry instruction(s)and/or data.

While the principles of the disclosure have been described above inconnection with specific apparatuses and methods, it is to be clearlyunderstood that this description is made only by way of example and notas limitation on the scope of the disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for optical treatment of an eye having acornea, the system comprising: a delivery device; and dopant operablycoupled with the delivery device so as to be deliverable from thedelivery device to the eye in a dopant pattern, the dopant being asubstance that, when delivered to the eye, locally changes refractiveindex values of the cornea without reshaping the cornea; wherein thedelivery device is configurable to deliver the dopant to the eye in thedopant pattern so that the delivered dopant locally changes refractiveindex values of the eye so as to impose a desired correction to change arefractive index of the cornea of the eye to mitigate an opticalaberration of the eye, and wherein the delivery device includes acontact lens configured for placement on a portion of the eye, thecontact lens having dopant carrier which releasably carries the dopant,the dopant being configured to be released from the portion of thecontact lens when the portion of the contact lens is irradiated.
 2. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the optical aberration of the eye comprisesone of a myopia, a hyperopia, and a regular astigmatism.
 3. The systemof claim 1, wherein the optical aberration of the eye comprises a higherorder aberration.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the dopant isreleased when activated, and wherein the activation of the dopantincludes change in shape, composition, and/or properties of the dopantand/or the dopant carrier.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the eye hasa cornea, and the dopant located on portions of the contact lens isconfigured to diffuse into the cornea.
 6. The system of claim 1, whereinthe eye has a corneal stroma, and the dopant is configured to implant inthe corneal stroma.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the dopantcomprises a plurality of nanoparticles.
 8. The system of claim 1,wherein the dopant is uniformly distributed throughout the contact lens.9. The system of claim 1, wherein the dopant is non-uniformlydistributed throughout the contact lens.
 10. The system of claim 1,wherein the contact lens comprises an orienting feature configured toorient the contact lens on the eye.